Harvey Weinstein arrested on rape charges

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NEW YORK, New York — Harvey Weinstein turned himself in to New York police Friday morning and was arrested on charges that he raped one woman and forced another to perform oral sex on him, a source familiar with the investigation told CNN.

Manhattan prosecutors will charge Weinstein with first- and third-degree rape in one case and a first-degree sex act in a second case, a source said. He’s expected to appear in court later in the day.

Weinstein walked into a New York police precinct office through a flurry of reporters and photographers, carrying what appeared to be books.

It was a scene not unlike the red carpet walks he used to do, further highlighting how far the disgraced Hollywood producer has fallen since dozens of women came forward in the New York Times and the New Yorker to publicly accuse him of sexual misconduct.

Weinstein’s bond is expected to be set at $2 million, according to a law enforcement source.

He is also under investigation for alleged sex crimes in Los Angeles and London. Federal prosecutors in New York have started a sex crimes investigation involving him, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The charges follow a flood of accusations against Weinstein that led women around the world to come forward with accounts of being sexually harassed by powerful men. His accusers welcomed the news as a sign that the tables were finally turning — not only on him but on other accused predators.

“I, and so many of Harvey Weinstein’s survivors, had given up hope that our rapist would be held accountable by law. Twenty years ago, I swore that I would right this wrong. Today we are one step closer to justice,” said actress Rose McGowan, one of the first women to publicly accuse Weinstein of assault.

“We were young women who were assaulted by Weinstein and later terrorized by his vast network of complicity. I stand with my fellow survivors. May this give hope to all victims and survivors everywhere that are telling their truths,” she said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.

Dozens of accusations

Weinstein has been accused of rape, assault and other forms of sexual misconduct. Weinstein’s representative has said he sought treatment after the accusations and any allegations of nonconsensual sex were “unequivocally denied.”

Dozens of women have come forward publicly to accuse Weinstein of misconduct after reports in 2017 about his treatment of women, including actresses with whom he worked.

Two of those women, Asia Argento and Ashley Judd, tweeted an article Thursday about Weinstein turning himself in. Paz de la Huerta, another Weinstein accuser, declined to comment on the news.

The women said Weinstein threatened to ruin their careers if they went public with their accounts. On Thursday, New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor recounted in a tweet some of his threats and declared “not anymore.”

Ronan Farrow, who wrote the New Yorker’s report on Weinstein, told CNN Friday that many of the producer’s accusers believed they’d never see justice.

“Not in a million years, and one of the hardest conversations I had over and over again with these brave women was that in addition to the sacrifice they were making in telling this story, they didn’t think they would ever be heard if they did take that leap, let alone to see actual accountability,” Farrow said.

Weinstein has kept a low profile since his downfall. He was fired from the company that bears his name just days after the allegations first surfaced in the media. The Weinstein Company filed for bankruptcy earlier this year and what remains of it is set to be sold.

In an interview with “BBC Radio 5 live” Wednesday, Weinstein’s criminal defense attorney Benjamin Brafman described his client as “lonely and angry,” adding that he believes the cases against Weinstein are “legally defective and not factually supported.”

Movement gains steam

The allegations catalyzed the decades-old #MeToo movement that calls attention to sexual misconduct. The heightened scrutiny has rippled across industries and ensnared numerous powerful men, from journalists Matt Lauer and Mark Halperin to chefs Mario Batali and John Besh.